joe campbell

robert!! what an incredible group of photos you've uncovered! i'll be watching as more info comes along. BTW, Ricky's input - as usual! - is greatly appreciated as well. joe

exceptional! what? a hundred times rarer than the Knight's Cross, and moreso because of KC duplicates. this has always been one of my favorite TR medals. you are fortunate to have three... but then you ARE jacques, king of the Condors!! joe :D

what a superb piece!! this would be welcome in any collection - mine included! and over 150 years old! great to see this. joe

much obliged, laurence! after posting my last post, i went to my library and found the same. AOMS... (addled old man syndrome) by the way, i am a Rommel fan. given the resources of a Patton or Monty, his ascendancy would have been months/years longer. joe

i thought there were only ten diamonds recipients. joe

my pleasure! this is a bit of a holdover from imperial times, where they are relatively uncommon, so TR is even moreso. most likely officer grade for tailored uniform, but i can't swear to that. a very nice addition to your collection! joe

pictures a bit too dark, but yes! this is a good piece, private purchase. you've got a nice original, uncommon badge, dan! joe

how does one top these? i know there are some color format docs out there, but these so remind me of aubrey beardsley. is that first one.... joe

this is why i love imperial. this is new to me, but not a surprise. imagine this on a TR uniform... i'd love to have this style in my collection! joe

that would be a nice purchase! i, too, would like to see the background piece. joe

sure! show us what you've got. joe

i'll jump in, too!! what a find! i think this is a most appropriate reward for all the work you have done. can i at least borrow it for a few weeks???? joe

i had the pleasure of again judging the MAX show this year, and strangely enough, the best-in-show went to a display including many of Herr Rall's TR awards, including his RK/Oaks/Swords and cassette. amongst the display was a picture of herr rall and bob thompson, the displayer, taken some 25 years ago.... What a warm, genuine, infectious smile he wore! It appears to be a theme throughout his photographs. a man with a sense of humor and a smile isn't a guarantee of goodness, but is an important first step... my condolences to the family. i regret not having been able to meet him. joe

Most interesting thread! is the dogtag - beautiful script! - something that was on a regular basis? "comemorative" after the war? i don't recall seeing such a striking tag. joe

where DO you find these pieces??? a rare - relatively - medal to an early recipient in an operation that by later standards would be considered small. and medical, to boot. any other info on herr kohnen? how big was the crete jump? thanks! joe

unfortunately there are many maker marks like this, and i think the only thing you can say is that they are undecipherable. i would imagine this was a rather tedious task. many MM's are delicate and well done, but equally as many were almost an afterthought and very poorly executed. joe

nice imperial cross. the MM is LW. IW is not one i've ever seen. joe

unimagineable.... if this doen't conjure shell shock.... joe

you are fortunate to have such a nice example! would some sort of leather conditioner be out of line to preserve the belt? joe

these are the frustrating ones... i regularly see these kinds of marks, probably poorly executed MM's in a rush to get the next batch of EK's to the recipients. reminds me a bit of the CD 800 stamp, but not enough to make an ID. joe

had a chance as a small child to meet one of those men who fought on the streets of budapest... he was a handsome man with a brilliant smile. i don't remember much more (age 7 or 8??) except him saying in conversation with my parents "they tried to kill my country!". it left an impression which has lasted fifty years. joe

tony- absolutely! not only is necessity the mother of invention, economics can be as well! joe

this doctor is REALLY spooky lookin'.... any relation to herr doktor frankenstein??? must admit it's a great photo! joe

nicely done. are you the renovator? joe

eric- it is mine no longer. joe